Good evening! Modestly heavy rain and 55 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☔ There is a east-northeast breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 48 degrees. Evidently, I’m not going for my evening walk tonight. I did however ride the excerise bike for about an hour watching videos from Keith Fink’s Farm YouTube channel and one from Computerfile. The skies will clear tomorrow around 11 pm.

I have to admit I’ve kind of gotten to like watching YouTube videos I’ve downloaded for watching at home. That youtube-dl script is pretty awesome for that. 📹 While I don’t watch commercials television or professionally produced shows I do like watching videos and hunting, trapping and fishing, farming and off-grid living. And sometimes camping. It makes time riding on the excerise bike 🚲 go by quickly. While in many ways I prefer podcasts, videos can sometimes take you places where you can’t go just by audio. Plus the kind of videos I watch on my excerise bike aren’t the rot your brain like on commercial television. Sure, probably watching a farmer birth calves or seed 🌱 oats isn’t intectually stimulating but it’s fascinating.

Today was another automobile free day for me. 🚘 I walked out to Five Rivers Environmental Education Center and then took the bus 🚍 and walked over to John Wolcott’s house. 📂 I didn’t find a lot of interesting files over the four and half hours of study and sorting this time but you never know what you are going to find. I prefer walking 🚶 and transit when I’m in town not only to save money 💵 but because you see and experience more on foot.

Tonight will have showers, with thunderstorms also possible after midnight. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. 🌧 Low of 55 degrees at 9pm. 16 degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical night around June 2nd. Now if it wasn’t raining it would be a really nice evening. Warming through the night. Maximum dew point of 55 at 1am. 🏖️ East wind 9 to 14 mph becoming south after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2018, we had cloudy in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 28 degrees. The record low of 21 occurred back in 1940.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous Moon 🌔 with 85% illuminated. The moon will set at 4:26 am. The Pink Moon 🌕 is on Thursday night with a mostly cloudy skies then chance of showers. The sun will rise at 6:14 am with the first light at 5:45 am, which is one minute and 38 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 10 hours and 36 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 46 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have showers, mainly before 8am. Temperature rising to near 60 by 10am, then falling to around 47 during the remainder of the day. Breezy, with a southwest wind 7 to 12 mph becoming west 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy in the morning, which became rain by afternoon. The high last year was 36 degrees. The record high of 86 was set in 2003. 2.4 inches of snow fell back in 2014.❄

I am not looking forward to defensive driving tomorrow because I generally think motoring 🏁 is an unpleasant experience but it’s good to learn about the latest laws and safety techniques. So many of the safety videos are boring or obnoxious. Lots of time though to doodle and daydream a bit. But I like saving 10% on my car insurance.

I’m going to research other insurance companies and plans though and possibly look at a more affordable plan before my insurance expires at the end of the month of September. 😮 It’s important to have good coverage but I’m not sure if my plan – which is the same as my parents have had for decades with minor changes still makes sense for me. $920 a year for insurance when my truck is no longer new, I don’t drive daily and I’ve never gotten a ticket 🎫 or chargeable accident seems excessive. I might look at reducing my liability insurance and under insured motorists a bit – I would hate to be sued in court beyond what my insurance will cover in a severe crash but I realize such a crash caused by me is fairly unlikely because I primarily drive on rural roads and not in congested areas.

The long range doesn’t look that great for Easter weekend. Major bummer! 😞 No camping Easter Weekend 🐰 I guess. Next Saturday, showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Maximum dew point of 55 at 6am. Next Sunday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Typical average high for the weekend is 61 degrees.

I am most likely looking at camping ⛺ in two weeks possibly taking off the Thursday and Friday of that week. I’ll miss the Save the Pine Bush Hike but I’d rather spend more time up in the wilderness as it’s been a long time since I’ve spent time overnight in the woods. 🔥 A nice campfire, and waking up to a sunrise in the wilderness would be wonderful.

In four weeks on May 12 the sun will be setting at 8:07 pm,🌄 which is 31 minutes and 23 seconds later then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 50 and 48 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 68 and 46 degrees. The record high of 91 degrees was set back in 1881.

Looking ahead, Easter 🐰 is in 1 week, Cinco de Mayo 🤠 is in 3 weeks, Mothers Day 👩‍ is in 4 weeks, Fathers Day 👨 is in 9 weeks, National Nude Day 👱 is in 3 months (black flies will be gone by then), Altamont Fair Opens 🎡 is in 4 months, Sunset Before 7:30 PM 🌆 is in 20 weeks, Autumn 🍂 is in 23 weeks and Average High is 60 🍂 is in 26 weeks.

Good morning! Happy Thursday. Feels more like a Friday to me, although I have to go to work tomorrow. That’s what happens when you work Sunday. Two weeks to the Average High is 60 🌼. Might even start to see some signs of spring at that point. Mostly sunny and 36 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a west-northwest breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 11 pm. ☃️

Not a terrible day, fairly mild I still have the heat off. 😎 May turn it back up later on though and the windows are closed as it’s not expected to be super warm. Certainly nice and sunny. I enjoyed my walk 🚶 down to the express bus 🚍. Riding a coach bus to work today with nice soft seats. 💺 Riding in comfort for sure.

Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 50 degrees at 4pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical day around March 29th. Breezy, with a west wind 9 to 14 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph. The wind will make it feel fairly cold but the sun ☀ will help.

Continued red flag 🚩 conditions as it’s spring, dry and windy. So Pennsylvania rednecks shouldn’t be burning 🔥 their paper plates and plastic milk bottles today. Save them for after the rain, get lots of beer and big ol’ bonfire. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning, which became partly cloudy by afternoon. The high last year was 52 degrees. The record high of 79 was set in 1950. 4.3 inches of snow fell back in 2016.❄

The sun will set at 7:25 pm with dusk around 7:53 pm, which is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 44 degrees. Breezy, 17 mph breeze ⛅ from the west-northwest. With that wind, probably too cold to go to the park after work. Today will have 12 hours and 53 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 51 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 22 degrees at 4am. 11 degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical night around March 7th. Cold but not quite record breaking cold. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming light after midnight. In 2018, we had mostly clear in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 24 degrees. The record low of 14 occurred back in 2016. It still can get pretty cold this time of year.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of rain and snow before 11am, then rain likely. Increasing clouds 🌧, with a high of 42 degrees at 1pm. 12 degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical day around March 11th. Light east wind becoming south 6 to 11 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning, which became partly cloudy by afternoon. The high last year was 39 degrees. The record high of 82 was set in 1928. 1.1 inches of snow fell back in 1914.❄

Definitely going to be a cold and wet day tomorrow. 💦 I am not camping, so I don’t mind. Sure, another nice day would be nice, but at least it will reduce the fire danger, provide moisture that with the increasingly mild weather will eventually make the city start to green up a bit. 🏞 Yesterday, I went for a walk in Washington Park and there is no signs of the tulips, 🌷and honestly things looked kind of barren with the snow gone, but things still brown and no leaves on the trees.🎋 Honestly, I didn’t expect it to look like spring in the park, but I was hoping maybe to see a few more signs of spring.

Yesterday, I went over to John Wolcott’s house, continued going through his files. 🗃 Some of them were kind of interesting, especially the ones about thePryun Library that Erastus Corning and the DOT insisted had to be torn down for the flyover ramp for Interstate 787, even though they could have located it a few feet to the west for minimal costs, and remain within engineering standards. Some of the old dutch documents aren’t much of an interest, but anything involving Mayor Corning is very fascinating.🏛 The 1960s were a very interesting time in America.

When I got home, I was pretty tired and the wind was whipping around, 🌪 so I skipped my evening walk. Sure, I was a bad person, but I was quite happy to just lay back in bed. I opened up Facebook, jumped into the swamp, and got so disgusted by what I saw on Facebook, I closed the app. 💻 I don’t even know why I go on there anymore. Maybe I’ve just become more conservative in recent years, or maybe it’s that my liberal friends have become more obnoxious. I don’t know.

I guess I shouldn’t avoid threatening ideas, but going on Facebook just makes me sick. 🤢Literally makes me want to run down to the bathroom and puke out my brains.  I mean I like looking at the cute pictures of cows and hunting stuff, 🐄 and seeing what my old friends from high school are up to, but so much of what is on there now is either advertising or abusively obnoxious political posts.

The weekend forecast continues to improve. 😎 Saturday, a chance of rain before 8am. Partly sunny, with a high near 59. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 61. Maximum dew point of 40 at 1pm. Not a drop of humidity in that air, but that’s to be expected this time of year. Typical average high for the weekend is 54 degrees.

Spring is rapidly approaching, although there is going to be a lot of snow and ice in the mountains, and mud in lower elevations. I think I’m going to do something fun this weekend — maybe a good hike 🚶and and some fishing on Sunday. 🎣 Depending on how nice it is on Saturday morning, I might go for hike on rail trail 🚂 although I’m not sure how early it will clear out or how early I’ll be out of bed.🛏

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Average High is 60 🌼 when the sun will be setting at 7:41 pm with dusk at 8:10 pm. On that day in 2018, we had cloudy and temperatures between 47 and 33 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 60 degrees. We hit a record high of 90 back in 1976.

Two weeks from now I’ll probably be on my trip to the Adirondacks or Central NY, although I still haven’t requested the time off.🏕 I am on the fence where to go — I kind of would like to go to the Adirondacks and the North Country, but not if there still is a lot of snow and ice to deal with. The alternative would be a mix between Charles Baker and Stoney Pond State Forest, maybe heading south to Balsam Pond, hitting up several trout streams, and more rural rather then mountain country. I mean still have plenty of time to visit the Adirondacks before summer is over. I don’t want to deal with camping with snow and ice.

In four weeks on May 2 the sun will be setting at 7:56 pm,🌄 which is 31 minutes and 48 seconds later then today. In 2018 on that day, we had hot, mostly sunny, rain showers and temperatures between 90 and 45 degrees. Last year was the record high. Typically, you have temperatures between 65 and 43 degrees.

While it may not feel like it this week, 🌷the truth is much warmer weather is likely just around the corner. Ninty degrees days are not out of the question nor is heat and humidity although I hope things green up before then so there is some shade to enjoy outside by then. And maybe a few weeks without the black flies. 🐜

Last night, I got talking to somebody about the plastic bag ban. They were worried about what they would use for trash bags, 🗑 once single-use shopping plastic bags were banned. I got thinking about it some more — and pointed out they could wash out the trash cans like people did in the olden days, without any problem. Seems like a simple solution for a silly problem. I don’t get why they always have to have trash bag liners.

Probably when I have my off-grid property, I’ll use animal feed sacks for the kitchen trash that’s going out to the burn barrel (the stuff like wrappers, bottles and packages contaminated by food), and just either use bread bags or wash out the compost container. It’s amazing how many feed bags even small hobby farms end up throwing out. It just seems like there is much too much disposable, single-use plastic out there. 🛍No sense paying for something your going to burn, after all.🔥 Maybe that’s the future, but I’m still focused on it.

After finding a plastic bag in the Pine Bush 🌲 then seeing a bunch more in the trees, I’ve really started to come around on this issue — they really need to go — as they don’t rot in nature without being burnt. Sure, I’m not happy with them charging paper bags, as I don’t always remember to have my reusable bags with me, but I’m also thinking that using a plastic milk crates, might actually be a much easier way to handle groceries. Reusable bags tend to get dirty quickly, and are somewhat flimsy, but if I could stack groceries in a crate that can be washed off, that might work really well. Groceries would be less likely to spill or get damaged when packaged in a plastic create.

Looking ahead, Average High is 60 🌼 is in 2 weeks, Pink Moon 🌕 is in 2 weeks, 8 PM Sunset 🌇 is a month away, Average High is 70 🐮 is in 6 weeks, Summer ️⛱️ is in 11 weeks, Independence Day 🇺🇸 is in 3 months, August 🌻 is in 17 weeks and Last Sunset After 7 PM 🌆 is in 26 weeks.